System And Method For Video-Assisted Presence Detection In Telephony Communications

ABSTRACT

Video-assisted presence detection is used to enhance a user experience in telephony communications. Image data, video data, or both, from a camera are used to determine whether a user is present at their device before a call is transferred to him or her. The video-assisted presence detection can be implemented based on a privacy setting. For example, one implementation allows a system to have partial access to the camera to perform a scan to detect that there is a human present without capturing facial information, and without identifying that person. Another implementation allows the system to have partial access to the camera to scan the a face of a user, but not have access to the video feed of the camera. Another implementation allows the system to have full access to the camera.

BACKGROUND

Enterprise entities rely upon several modes of communication to supporttheir operations, including telephone, email, internal messaging, andthe like. These separate modes of communication have historically beenimplemented by service providers whose services are not integrated withone another. The disconnect between these services, in at least somecases, requires information to be manually passed by users from oneservice to the next. Furthermore, some services, such as telephonyservices, are traditionally delivered via on-premises solutions, meaningthat remote workers and those who are generally increasingly mobile maybe unable to rely upon them. One solution is by way of a unifiedcommunications as a service (UCaaS) platform, which includes severalcommunications services integrated over a network, such as the Internet,to deliver a complete communication experience regardless of physicallocation.

SUMMARY

Disclosed herein are, inter alia, implementations of systems and methodsfor video-assisted presence detection in telephony communications.

One aspect of this disclosure is a system for video-assisted presencedetection in telephony communications. The system includes a firstdevice that is associated with a private network. The first device isconfigured to communicate via a UCaaS platform. The system includes asecond device that is associated with the private network. The seconddevice is configured to communicate with the UCaaS platform. The seconddevice may include a camera. The second device may be configured todetect a user presence. The user presence may be detected based on datacaptured by the camera. The second device may be configured to transmita notification to the first device. The notification may indicatedetection of the user presence. The first device may be configured totransfer a call to the second device based on the detection of the userpresence. The call may be transferred to the second device using sessioninitiation protocol (SIP) signaling.

Another aspect of this disclosure is a method for video-assistedpresence detection in telephony communications. The method includesdetecting a user presence. The user presence may be detected based ondata captured by a camera of a first device. The first device may beassociated with a private network. The first device may be configured tocommunicate via a UCaaS platform. The method may include transmitting anotification to a second device. The second device may be associatedwith the private network. The second device may be configured tocommunicate via the UCaaS platform. The notification may include anindication of the detected user presence. The method may includetransferring a call to the first device based on the detection of theuser presence. The call may be transferred using SIP signaling.

Another aspect of this disclosure includes a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium configured to store instructions that whenexecuted by a processor cause the processor to initiate a camera on afirst device. The first device may be associated with a private network.The first device may be configured to communicate via a UCaaS platform.The processor may be configured to perform a scan. The scan may be basedon a privacy setting. The scan may include data obtained from thecamera. The processor may be configured to determine whether a humanpresence is detected based on the data obtained from the camera. Theprocessor may be configured to transmit a notification to a seconddevice. The second device may be associated with the private network.The second device may be configured to communicate via the UCaaSplatform. The notification may be transmitted based on the determinationof whether the human presence is detected. If the human presence isdetected, the processor may be configured to transfer a call from thesecond device to the first device. The call may be transferred using SIPsignaling. If a human presence is not detected, the processor may beconfigured to retain the call at the second device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This disclosure is best understood from the following detaileddescription when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Itis emphasized that, according to common practice, the various featuresof the drawings are not to-scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of thevarious features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example of an electronic computing andcommunications system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example internal configuration of acomputing device of an electronic computing and communications system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example of a software platformimplemented by an electronic computing and communications system.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example of a system for transferringcalls using video-assisted presence detection.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example of a method for video-assistedpresence detection in telephony communications.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example of another method for video-assistedpresence detection in telephony communications.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example of another method for video-assistedpresence detection in telephony communications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A software platform, such as a UCaaS platform, may include severalcommunications services integrated over a network. The communicationsservices may include telephony services. Telephony services, orotherwise referred to telephony communications, include a digital statusreferred to as presence, which typically is represented using a statusindicator. The status indicator may be conveyed visually, aurally,and/or by other means. The status indicator may appear next to a user'sname on a contacts list, for example, and indicates a status of theuser, for example, one of on the phone, away/idle, do not disturb,roaming with a mobile device (e.g., away from the desk, but stillreachable), and available, in which available typically indicates thatthe user is logged in.

The available indicator, however, is not very precise in that is doesnot accurately indicate whether the user is actually available toreceive a communication or other message or notification. For example,the user may have just walked away to take a quick break to get coffeeor visit the washroom. In one particular example, an operator, such as areceptionist or an auto attendant, may receive a call for a user andseek to transfer the call to him or her. In another example, theoperator may receive a call at a call center for an agent at the callcenter. In these examples, the receptionist or operator may perform acold transfer where they simply transfer the call without first checkingto see if the user or agent is present and available to take the call.Alternatively, the receptionist or operator may perform a warm transfer,also known as a consultative transfer, where the caller is placed onhold and the receptionist separately calls the user or agent todetermine if they are present, and ask whether they are available totake the call. The warm transfer process, therefore, is used to verifythe presence of the user or agent before a call is transferred and thusdoes not resolve the imprecisions of the status indicator of the user oragent.

Implementations of this disclosure address problems such as these usingvideo-assisted presence detection in telephony communications. Imagedata, video data, or both, may be used to enhance the determination ofwhether a user is present before a call is transferred to him or her.The video-assisted presence detection may be implemented using varyingdegrees of privacy settings. For example, one implementation option mayprovide a user to opt in for the system to have partial access to thecamera of the client device to perform a scan to detect that there is ahuman being present without capturing facial information, and withoutidentifying who that person specifically is. Another implementationoption may provide a user to opt in for the system to have partialaccess to the client device to scan the user's face, but not have accessto the video feed of the camera. Another implementation option mayprovide a user to opt in for the system to have full access to thecamera of the client device.

In any of these implementation options, the system may be configured toalso identify a number of people through a camera of the client device.In this way, for example, the system may indicate some privacyinformation to the receptionist to indicate that the person is or may bein a conference. Other examples may include where a non-receptionistco-worker transfers a call, sends an invitation for the user to join aconference, and the like. The privacy information may be indicatedeither directly by sharing the video feed, by sharing indications ofspecific persons identified, or by sharing a number of people withoutspecifying identity information.

In addition, any of these implementation options may include a checkstep before access to the camera of the client device is granted, forexample using a mobile device of the user that may be running a clientapplication. In an example, a user may have both the mobile devicerunning the client application and a separate desktop device, such as aphone or computing device, which runs the client application. Theproximity of the mobile device to the desktop device may be measured,for example, by the client application running on the mobile devicecommunicating with the client application running on the desktop device,to determine whether the user is close enough to their desktop device.Accordingly, in such a case, the camera may be used to check presence inany of the implementation options above after first detecting theproximity of the mobile device to the desktop device. In some cases, thedistance value measured from the proximity detection may be compared toa threshold, for example, to identify whether the user is within a setdistance range. In other cases, the system may detect whether the mobiledevice is within a geofence defined based on a location of the desktopdevice.

To describe some implementations in greater detail, reference is firstmade to examples of hardware and software structures used to implementvideo-assisted presence detection in telephony communications. FIG. 1 isa block diagram of an example of an electronic computing andcommunications system 100, which can be or include a distributedcomputing system (e.g., a client-server computing system), a cloudcomputing system, a clustered computing system, or the like.

The system 100 includes one or more customers, such as customers 102Athrough 102B, which may each be a public entity, private entity, oranother corporate entity or individual that purchases or otherwise usessoftware services, such as of a UCaaS platform provider. Each customercan include one or more clients. For example, as shown and withoutlimitation, the customer 102A can include clients 104A through 104B, andthe customer 102B can include clients 104C through 104D. A customer caninclude a customer network or domain. For example, and withoutlimitation, the clients 104A through 104B can be associated orcommunicate with a customer network or domain for the customer 102A andthe clients 104C through 104D can be associated or communicate with acustomer network or domain for the customer 102B.

A client, such as one of the clients 104A through 104D, may be orotherwise refer to one or both of a client device or a clientapplication. Where a client is or refers to a client device, the clientcan comprise a computing system, which can include one or more computingdevices, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, anotebook computer, a desktop computer, or another suitable computingdevice or combination of computing devices. Where a client instead is orrefers to a client application, the client can be an instance ofsoftware running on a customer device (e.g., a client device or anotherdevice). In some implementations, a client can be implemented as asingle physical unit or as a combination of physical units. In someimplementations, a single physical unit can include multiple clients.

The system 100 can include a number of customers and/or clients or canhave a configuration of customers or clients different from thatgenerally illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, and without limitation,the system 100 can include hundreds or thousands of customers, and atleast some of the customers can include or be associated with a numberof clients.

The system 100 includes a datacenter 106, which may include one or moreservers. The datacenter 106 can represent a geographic location, whichcan include a facility, where the one or more servers are located. Thesystem 100 can include a number of datacenters and servers or caninclude a configuration of datacenters and servers different from thatgenerally illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, and without limitation,the system 100 can include tens of datacenters, and at least some of thedatacenters can include hundreds or another suitable number of servers.In some implementations, the datacenter 106 can be associated orcommunicate with one or more datacenter networks or domains, which caninclude domains other than the customer domains for the customers 102Athrough 102B.

The datacenter 106 includes servers used for implementing softwareservices of a UCaaS platform. The datacenter 106 as generallyillustrated includes an application server 108, a database server 110,and telephony server 112. The servers 108 through 112 can each be acomputing system, which can include one or more computing devices, suchas a desktop computer, a server computer, or another computer capable ofoperating as a server, or a combination thereof. A suitable number ofeach of the servers 108 through 112 can be implemented at the datacenter106. The UCaaS platform uses a multi-tenant architecture in whichinstallations or instantiations of the servers 108 through 112 is sharedamongst the customers 102A through 102B.

In some implementations, one or more of the servers 108 through 112 canbe a non-hardware server implemented on a physical device, such as ahardware server. In some implementations, a combination of two or moreof the application server 108, the database server 110, and thetelephony server 112 can be implemented as a single hardware server oras a single non-hardware server implemented on a single hardware server.In some implementations, the datacenter 106 can include servers otherthan or in addition to the servers 108 through 112, for example, a mediaserver, a proxy server, or a web server.

The application server 108 runs web-based software services deliverableto a client, such as one of the clients 104A through 104D. As describedabove, the software services may be of a UCaaS platform. For example,the application server 108 can implement all or a portion of a UCaaSplatform, for example, including conferencing software, messagingsoftware, and/or other intra-party or inter-party communicationssoftware. The application server 108 may, for example, be or include aunitary Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

In some implementations, the application server 108 can include anapplication node, which can be a process executed on the applicationserver 108. For example, and without limitation, the application nodecan be executed in order to deliver software services to a client, suchas one of the clients 104A through 104D, as part of a softwareapplication. The application node can be implemented using processingthreads, virtual machine instantiations, or other computing features ofthe application server 108. In some such implementations, theapplication server 108 can include a suitable number of applicationnodes, depending upon a system load or other characteristics associatedwith the application server 108. For example, and without limitation,the application server 108 can include two or more nodes forming a nodecluster. In some such implementations, the application nodes implementedon a single application server 108 can run on different hardwareservers.

The database server 110 stores, manages, or otherwise provides data fordelivering software services of the application server 108 to a client,such as one of the clients 104A through 104D. In particular, thedatabase server 110 may implement one or more databases, tables, orother information sources suitable for use with a software applicationimplemented using the application server 108. The database server 110may include a data storage unit accessible by software executed on theapplication server 108. A database implemented by the database server110 may be a relational database management system (RDBMS), an objectdatabase, an XML database, a configuration management database (CMDB), amanagement information base (MIB), one or more flat files, othersuitable non-transient storage mechanisms, or a combination thereof. Thesystem 100 can include one or more database servers, in which eachdatabase server can include one, two, three, or another suitable numberof databases configured as or comprising a suitable database type orcombination thereof.

In some implementations, one or more databases, tables, other suitableinformation sources, or portions or combinations thereof may be stored,managed, or otherwise provided by one or more of the elements of thesystem 100 other than the database server 110, for example, the client104 or the application server 108.

The telephony server 112 enables network-based telephony and webcommunications from and to clients of a customer, such as the clients104A through 104B for the customer 102A or the clients 104C through 104Dfor the customer 102B. Some or all of the clients 104A through 104D maybe voice over Internet protocol (VOIP)-enabled devices configured tosend and receive calls over a network, for example, a network 114. Inparticular, the telephony server 112 includes a SIP zone and a web zone.The SIP zone enables a client of a customer, such as the customer 102Aor 102B, to send and receive calls over the network 114 using SIPrequests and responses. The web zone integrates telephony data with theapplication server 108 to enable telephony-based traffic access tosoftware services run by the application server 108. Given the combinedfunctionality of the SIP zone and the web zone, the telephony server 112may be or include a cloud-based private branch exchange (PBX) system.

The SIP zone receives telephony traffic from a client of a customer anddirects same to a destination device. The SIP zone may include one ormore call switches for routing the telephony traffic. For example, toroute a VOIP call from a first VOW-enabled client of a customer to asecond VOIP-enabled client of the same customer, the telephony server112 may initiate a SIP transaction between a first client and the secondclient using a PBX for the customer. However, in another example, toroute a VOIP call from a VOIP-enabled client of a customer to a clientor non-client device (e.g., a desktop phones which is not configured forVOIP communication) which is not VOW-enabled, the telephony server 112may initiate a SIP transaction via a VOIP gateway that transmits the SIPsignal to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) system for outboundcommunication to the non-VOW-enabled client or non-client phone. Hence,the telephony server 112 may include a PSTN system and may in some casesaccess an external PSTN system.

The telephony server 112 includes one or more session border controllers(SBCs) for interfacing the SIP zone with one or more aspects external tothe telephony server 112. In particular, an SBC can act as anintermediary to transmit and receive SIP requests and responses betweenclients or non-client devices of a given customer with clients ornon-client devices external to that customer. When incoming telephonytraffic for delivery to a client of a customer, such as one of theclients 104A through 104D, originating from outside the telephony server112 is received, a SBC receives the traffic and forwards it to a callswitch for routing to the client.

In some implementations, the telephony server 112, via the SIP zone, mayenable one or more forms of peering to a carrier or customer premise.For example, Internet peering to a customer premise may be enabled toease the migration of the customer from a legacy provider to a serviceprovider operating the telephony server 112. In another example, privatepeering to a customer premise may be enabled to leverage a privateconnection terminating at one end at the telephony server 112 and at theother at a computing aspect of the customer environment. In yet anotherexample, carrier peering may be enabled to leverage a connection of apeered carrier to the telephony server 112.

In some such implementations, a SBC or telephony gateway within thecustomer environment may operate as an intermediary between the SBC ofthe telephony server 112 and a PSTN for a peered carrier. When anexternal SBC is first registered with the telephony server 112, a callfrom a client can be routed through the SBC to a load balancer of theSIP zone, which directs the traffic to a call switch of the telephonyserver 112. Thereafter, the SBC may be configured to communicatedirectly with the call switch.

The web zone receives telephony traffic from a client of a customer, viathe SIP zone, and directs same to the application server 108 via one ormore Domain Name System (DNS) resolutions. For example, a first DNSwithin the web zone may process a request received via the SIP zone andthen deliver the processed request to a web service which connects to asecond DNS at or otherwise associated with the application server 108.Once the second DNS resolves the request, it is delivered to thedestination service at the application server 108. The web zone may alsoinclude a database for authenticating access to a software applicationfor telephony traffic processed within the SIP zone, for example, asoftphone.

The clients 104A through 104D communicate with the servers 108 through112 of the datacenter 106 via the network 114. The network 114 can be orinclude, for example, the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a widearea network (WAN), a virtual private network (VPN), or another publicor private means of electronic computer communication capable oftransferring data between a client and one or more servers. In someimplementations, a client can connect to the network 114 via a communalconnection point, link, or path, or using a distinct connection point,link, or path. For example, a connection point, link, or path can bewired, wireless, use other communications technologies, or a combinationthereof.

The network 114, the datacenter 106, or another element, or combinationof elements, of the system 100 can include network hardware such asrouters, switches, other network devices, or combinations thereof. Forexample, the datacenter 106 can include a load balancer 116 for routingtraffic from the network 114 to various servers associated with thedatacenter 106. The load balancer 116 can route, or direct, computingcommunications traffic, such as signals or messages, to respectiveelements of the datacenter 106.

For example, the load balancer 116 can operate as a proxy, or reverseproxy, for a service, such as a service provided to one or more remoteclients, such as one or more of the clients 104A through 104D, by theapplication server 108, the telephony server 112, and/or another server.Routing functions of the load balancer 116 can be configured directly orvia a DNS. The load balancer 116 can coordinate requests from remoteclients and can simplify client access by masking the internalconfiguration of the datacenter 106 from the remote clients.

In some implementations, the load balancer 116 can operate as afirewall, allowing or preventing communications based on configurationsettings. Although the load balancer 116 is depicted in FIG. 1 as beingwithin the datacenter 106, in some implementations, the load balancer116 can instead be located outside of the datacenter 106, for example,when providing global routing for multiple datacenters. In someimplementations, load balancers can be included both within and outsideof the datacenter 106. In some implementations, the load balancer 116can be omitted.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example internal configuration of acomputing device 200 of an electronic computing and communicationssystem, for example, a computing device which implements one or more ofthe client 104, the application server 108, the database server 110, orthe telephony server 112 of the system 100 shown in FIG. 1.

The computing device 200 includes components or units, such as aprocessor 202, a memory 204, a bus 206, a power source 208, peripherals210, a user interface 212, a network interface 214, other suitablecomponents, or a combination thereof. One or more of the memory 204, thepower source 208, the peripherals 210, the user interface 212, or thenetwork interface 214 can communicate with the processor 202 via the bus206.

The processor 202 is a central processing unit, such as amicroprocessor, and can include single or multiple processors havingsingle or multiple processing cores. Alternatively, the processor 202can include another type of device, or multiple devices, now existing orhereafter developed, configured for manipulating or processinginformation. For example, the processor 202 can include multipleprocessors interconnected in one or more manners, including hardwired ornetworked, including wirelessly networked. For example, the operationsof the processor 202 can be distributed across multiple devices or unitsthat can be coupled directly or across a local area or other suitabletype of network. The processor 202 can include a cache, or cache memory,for local storage of operating data or instructions.

The memory 204 includes one or more memory components, which may each bevolatile memory or non-volatile memory. For example, the volatile memoryof the memory 204 can be random access memory (RAM) (e.g., a DRAMmodule, such as DDR SDRAM) or another form of volatile memory. Inanother example, the non-volatile memory of the memory 204 can be a diskdrive, a solid state drive, flash memory, phase-change memory, oranother form of non-volatile memory configured for persistent electronicinformation storage. The memory 204 may also include other types ofdevices, now existing or hereafter developed, configured for storingdata or instructions for processing by the processor 202. In someimplementations, the memory 204 can be distributed across multipledevices. For example, the memory 204 can include network-based memory ormemory in multiple clients or servers performing the operations of thosemultiple devices.

The memory 204 can include data for immediate access by the processor202. For example, the memory 204 can include executable instructions216, application data 218, and an operating system 220. The executableinstructions 216 can include one or more application programs, which canbe loaded or copied, in whole or in part, from non-volatile memory tovolatile memory to be executed by the processor 202. For example, theexecutable instructions 216 can include instructions for performing someor all of the techniques of this disclosure. The application data 218can include user data, database data (e.g., database catalogs ordictionaries), or the like. In some implementations, the applicationdata 218 can include functional programs, such as a web browser, a webserver, a database server, another program, or a combination thereof.The operating system 220 can be, for example, Microsoft Windows®, Mac OSX®, or Linux®, an operating system for a mobile device, such as asmartphone or tablet device; or an operating system for a non-mobiledevice, such as a mainframe computer.

The power source 208 includes a source for providing power to thecomputing device 200. For example, the power source 208 can be aninterface to an external power distribution system. In another example,the power source 208 can be a battery, such as where the computingdevice 200 is a mobile device or is otherwise configured to operateindependently of an external power distribution system. In someimplementations, the computing device 200 may include or otherwise usemultiple power sources. In some such implementations, the power source208 can be a backup battery.

The peripherals 210 includes one or more sensors, detectors, or otherdevices configured for monitoring the computing device 200 or theenvironment around the computing device 200. For example, theperipherals 210 can include a geolocation component, such as a globalpositioning system location unit. In another example, the peripheralscan include a temperature sensor for measuring temperatures ofcomponents of the computing device 200, such as the processor 202. Insome implementations, the computing device 200 can omit the peripherals210.

The user interface 212 includes one or more input interfaces and/oroutput interfaces. An input interface may, for example, be a positionalinput device, such as a mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, or the like; akeyboard; or another suitable human or machine interface device. Anoutput interface may, for example, be a display, such as a liquidcrystal display, a cathode-ray tube, a light emitting diode display, orother suitable display.

The network interface 214 provides a connection or link to a network(e.g., the network 114 shown in FIG. 1). The network interface 214 canbe a wired network interface or a wireless network interface. Thecomputing device 200 can communicate with other devices via the networkinterface 214 using one or more network protocols, such as usingEthernet, transmission control protocol (TCP), internet protocol (IP),power line communication, an IEEE 802.X protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, ZigBee, etc.), infrared, visible light, general packet radioservice (GPRS), global system for mobile communications (GSM),code-division multiple access (CDMA), Z-Wave, another protocol, or acombination thereof.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example of a software platform 300implemented by an electronic computing and communications system, forexample, the system 100 shown in FIG. 1. The software platform 300 is aUCaaS platform accessible by clients of a customer of a UCaaS platformprovider, for example, the clients 104A through 104B of the customer102A or the clients 104C through 104D of the customer 102B shown inFIG. 1. For example, the software platform 300 may be a multi-tenantplatform instantiated using one or more servers at one or moredatacenters including, for example, the application server 108, thedatabase server 110, and the telephony server 112 of the datacenter 106shown in FIG. 1.

The software platform 300 includes software services accessible usingone or more clients. For example, a customer 302, which may, forexample, be the customer 102A, the customer 102B, or another customer,as shown includes four clients—a desk phone 304, a computer 306, amobile device 308, and a shared device 310. The desk phone 304 is adesktop unit configured to at least send and receive calls and includesan input device for receiving a telephone number or extension to dial toand an output device for outputting audio and/or video for a call inprogress. The computer 306 is a desktop, laptop, or tablet computerincluding an input device for receiving some form of user input and anoutput device for outputting information in an audio and/or visualformat. The mobile device 308 is a smartphone, wearable device, or othermobile computing aspect including an input device for receiving someform of user input and an output device for outputting information in anaudio and/or visual format. The desk phone 304, the computer 306, andthe mobile device 308 may generally be considered personal devicesconfigured for use by a single user. The shared device 312 is a deskphone, a computer, a mobile device, or a different device which mayinstead be configured for use by multiple specified or unspecified users

Each of the clients 304 through 310 includes or runs on a computingdevice configured to access at least a portion of the software platform300. In some implementations, the customer 302 may include additionalclients not shown. For example, the customer 302 may include multipleclients of one or more client types (e.g., multiple desk phones,multiple computers, etc.) and/or one or more clients of a client typenot shown in FIG. 3 (e.g., wearable devices, televisions other than asshared devices, or the like). For example, the customer 302 may havetens or hundreds of desk phones, computers, mobile devices, and/orshared devices.

The software services of the software platform 300 generally relate tocommunications tools, but are in no way limited in scope. As shown, thesoftware services of the software platform 300 include telephonysoftware 312, conferencing software 314, messaging software 316, andother software 318. Some or all of the software 312 through 318 usescustomer configurations 320 specific to the customer 302. The customerconfigurations 320 may, for example, be data stored within a database orother data store at a database server, such as the database server 110shown in FIG. 1.

The telephony software 312 enables telephony traffic between ones of theclients 304 through 310 and other telephony-enabled devices, which maybe other ones of the clients 304 through 310, other VOW-enabled clientsof the customer 302, non-VOIP-enabled devices of the customer 302,VOIP-enabled clients of another customer, non-VOIP-enabled devices ofanother customer, or other VOIP-enabled clients or non-VOIP-enableddevices. Calls sent or received using the telephony software 312 may,for example, be sent or received using the desk phone 304, a softphonerunning on the computer 306, a mobile application running on the mobiledevice 308, or using the shared device 310 where same includes telephonyfeatures.

The telephony software 312 further enables phones which do not include aclient application to connect to other software services of the softwareplatform 300. For example, the telephony software 312 may receive andprocess calls from phones not associated with the customer 302 to routethat telephony traffic to one or more of the conferencing software 314,the messaging software 316, or the other software 318.

The conferencing software 314 enables audio, video, and/or other formsof conferences between multiple participants, such as to facilitate aconference between those participants. In some cases, the participantsmay all be physically present within a single location, for example, aconference room, in which the conferencing software 314 may facilitate aconference between only those participants and using one or more clientswithin the conference room. In some cases, one or more participants maybe physically present within a single location and one or more otherparticipants may be remote, in which the conferencing software 314 mayfacilitate a conference between all of those participants using one ormore clients within the conference room and one or more remote clients.In some cases, the participants may all be remote, in which theconferencing software 314 may facilitate a conference between theparticipants using different clients for the participants. Theconferencing software 314 can include functionality for hosting,presenting scheduling, joining, or otherwise participating in aconference. The conferencing software 314 may further includefunctionality for recording some or all of a conference and/ordocumenting a transcript for the conference.

The messaging software 316 enables instant messaging, unified messaging,and other types of messaging communications between multiple devices,such as to facilitate a chat or like virtual conversation between usersof those devices. The unified messaging functionality of the messagingsoftware 316 may, for example, refer to email messaging which includesvoicemail transcription service delivered in email format.

The other software 318 enables other functionality of the softwareplatform 300. Examples of the other software 318 include, but are notlimited to, device management software, resource provisioning anddeployment software, administrative software, third party integrationsoftware, and the like. In one particular example, the other software318 can include functionality for video-assisted presence detection intelephony communications.

The software 312 through 318 may be implemented using one or moreservers, for example, of a datacenter such as the datacenter 106 shownin FIG. 1. For example, one or more of the software 312 through 318 maybe implemented using an application server, a database server, and/or atelephony server, such as the servers 108 through 112 shown in FIG. 1.In another example, one or more of the software 312 through 318 may beimplemented using servers not shown in FIG. 1, for example, a meetingserver, a web server, or another server. In yet another example, one ormore of the software 312 through 318 may be implemented using one ormore of the servers 108 through 112 and one or more other servers. Thesoftware 312 through 318 may be implemented by different servers or bythe same server.

Features of the software services of the software platform 300 may beintegrated with one another to provide a unified experience for users.For example, the messaging software 316 may include a user interfaceelement configured to initiate a call with another user of the customer302. In another example, the telephony software 312 may includefunctionality for elevating a telephone call to a conference. In yetanother example, the conferencing software 314 may include functionalityfor sending and receiving instant messages between participants and/orother users of the customer 302. In yet another example, theconferencing software 314 may include functionality for file sharingbetween participants and/or other users of the customer 302. In someimplementations, some or all of the software 312 through 318 may becombined into a single software application run on clients of thecustomer, such as one or more of the clients 304-310.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example of a system 400 for transferringcalls using video-assisted presence detection. The system 400 includes afirst device 410 and a second device 420. The first device 410 andsecond device 420 are referred to herein as devices for simplicity andclarity, and may include clients, such as client 104A and client 104B,respectively, shown in FIG. 1. The first device 410 and the seconddevice 420 may be associated with a private network or domain associatedwith a customer, and configured to communicate via a UCaaS platform,such as software platform 300 shown in FIG. 3. For example, the devicesmay be implemented in an office setting where the first device 410 isfor an operator, such as a receptionist or auto attendant, and thesecond device 420 is a user device configured to receive transferredcalls from the first device 410. In another example, the devices may beimplemented in a call center setting where the first device 410 is anoperator or auto attendant, and the second device 420 is an agent deviceconfigured to receive transferred calls from the first device.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first device 410 is configured to receive 422 acall. The call may be intended for the user of the second device 420. Inresponse to receiving the call, the first device 410 is configured totransmit a notification 425 to the second device 420. The notification425 may include an indication of the call, metadata associated with thecall, a request for user a user status or status indicator, or anycombination thereof.

The second device 420 is configured to detect 430 a user presence. Thesecond device 420 may be configured to detect the user presence inresponse to receiving the notification 425. The user presence may bedetected based on data captured by a camera of the second device 420.The data captured by the camera of the second device 420 may includeimage data, video data, or both. The second device 420 may detect 430the user presence in accordance with a privacy setting selected by theuser. In some implementations, the privacy setting may be selected byanother client device operator associated with the same UCaaS platformcustomer, or by another operator or entity. For example, the privacysetting may be established based on company policy rather than based onindividual user preference. In one example, the user may select aprivacy setting that allows the system to have partial access to thecamera of the second device 420 to perform a scan to detect that thereis a human being present without capturing facial information, andwithout identifying who that person specifically is. In this example,the second device 420 or another device, such as the application server108 shown in FIG. 1, may use an artificial intelligence (AI) tool todetect a head zone, a body zone, or both. The head zone may be an areaof an image that is associated with the data that includes at least aportion of the head or face of the user. The body zone may be an area ofthe image that is associated with the data that includes at least aportion of the body of the user. Identification of a head zone and abody zone may indicate that a human is present at the second device 420.This example carries a false positive potential where the human detectedat the desk is not the person for whom the incoming call is beingtransferred. In some cases where an AI tool has been trained torecognize voices using voice print matching, the AI tool can be used toindicate when someone who is not the person for whom the call istransferred answers the call.

In another example, the user may select a privacy setting that allowsthe system to have partial access to the camera of the second device 420to scan the user's face, but not have permission to transmit the videofeed of the camera. In this example, the second device 420 or anotherdevice, may be configured to recognize the user's face, but does notactually display any image or video data from the camera on the firstdevice 410, and the system simply verifies whether the user is there ornot. In this example, the specific user may be identified, such as byusing an AI tool trained for face detection.

In another example, the user may select a privacy setting that allowsthe system to have full access to the camera of the second device 420.In this example, the system is configured to determine that the specificperson is at their desk in front of the second device 420 and thus candistinguish between the specific person and other people, such as byusing an AI tool trained for face detection. In this case, the systemmay or may not display the image or video data from the camera on thefirst device 410, for example, upon request from the receptionist ornon-receptionist co-worker such as where the receptionist ornon-receptionist co-worker receives a call to be transferred to theuser.

In response to detecting the user presence, the second device 420 isconfigured to transmit a notification 440 to the first device. In somecases, the notification 440 may be transmitted when the identity of theuser is confirmed. The second device 420 may be configured to confirmthe identity of the user by performing voice print matching, fingerprintscanning, or some other technique that does not require the use of imageor video data. The notification 440 may include an indication that theuser is present, a number of people present, a noise level, or anycombination thereof. In an example where the number of people presentexceeds a threshold, the indication may indicate that the user ispresent and unavailable, for example if the user is in a crowded room.In an example where a noise level exceeds a threshold, the indicationmay indicate that the user is present and unavailable, for example ifthe user is on a noisy subway. The indication may be based on theselected privacy setting. Based on the selected privacy setting, forexample, the indication may include an identity of the user, an image ofthe user, a video feed of the user, or it may be an indication that theuser is present without any identifying information. In some examples,the notification may include an indication of the number of peoplepresent, a noise level, or both.

The first device 410 is configured to receive the notification 440 anddisplay 450 the indication of the user presence on a display of thefirst device 410. In some cases, the indication may be a light or colorindication on a hard or soft key of the first device 410. For example, ahard key on the first device 410 may be assigned to the user, and thehard key may be illuminated using a color indication, such as green,when the user is detected as present. The first device 410 may transfer460 the call to the second device 420 based on the detection that theuser is present at the second device 420. The call transfer may beinitiated by an input received at the first device 410. The input may bea press of a button such as the hard key or soft key on the first device410. In the case of an auto attendant, the call may be transferredautomatically based on the detection that the user is present at thesecond device 420 without receiving any input. The call may betransferred using SIP signaling.

To further describe some implementations in greater detail, reference isnext made to examples of methods which may be performed by or using asystem for voice-assisted presence detection in telephonycommunications. FIGS. 5-7 are flowcharts of examples of methods forperforming voice-assisted presence detection in telephonycommunications. The methods can be executed using computing devices,such as the systems, hardware, and software described with respect toFIGS. 1-4. The methods can be performed, for example, by executing amachine-readable program or other computer-executable instructions, suchas routines, instructions, programs, or other code. The steps, oroperations, of the methods or other techniques, methods, processes, oralgorithms described in connection with the implementations disclosedherein can be implemented directly in hardware, firmware, softwareexecuted by hardware, circuitry, or a combination thereof.

For simplicity of explanation, the methods depicted and described hereinas a series of steps or operations. However, the steps or operations inaccordance with this disclosure can occur in various orders and/orconcurrently. Additionally, other steps or operations not presented anddescribed herein may be used. Furthermore, not all illustrated steps oroperations may be required to implement a technique in accordance withthe disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example of a method 500 for video-assistedpresence detection in telephony communications. The method 500 includesinitiating 510 a camera on a client device, such as the second device420 shown in FIG. 4. In an example, the camera may be powered on and instandby mode when the client device is logged into the softwareplatform. When the camera is in standby mode, the camera may be poweredon and the image sensor may be activated, though not recording images orvideo. In an example, initiating 510 the camera on the client device mayinclude the image sensor detecting motion or a change in a lightingcondition in a field of view of the camera to switch from standby modeto an active mode to perform 520 a scan to detect a user presence. Inanother example, initiating 510 the camera may include detecting a noiseat the client device, for example using a microphone of the clientdevice or a microphone of the camera. In another example, initiating 510the camera may include detecting the proximity of a mobile device to theclient device to switch from standby mode to an active mode to perform520 a scan to detect a user presence. In another example, the camera mayperiodically perform 520 a scan to detect a user presence. Theperiodicity of performing 520 the scan in this example may beconfigurable by the user or system administrator, and may be configuredto occur every few seconds or longer intervals. In yet another example,the camera may continuously perform 520 a scan to detect a userpresence.

Performing 520 the scan may include obtaining data from the camera, suchas image data, video data, or both. The scan may be performed 520 basedon a selected privacy setting. For example, the user may select aprivacy setting that allows the system to have partial access to thecamera of the client device to perform 520 the scan to detect that thereis a human being present at the client device without capturing facialinformation, and without identifying who that person specifically is. Inthis example, the client device may use an AI tool to detect a headzone, a body zone, or both. Detection of a head zone and/or a body zonemay indicate that a human is present at the client device.

The method includes determining 530 whether a human presence is detectedbased on the scan. For example, if a head zone and/or body zone aredetected, the system determines 530 that a human being is present at theclient device. If it is determined 530 that a human presence isdetected, the method 500 includes transmitting 540 a notification. Insome cases, the presence status may be updated to available. Thenotification may include an indication of the presence status, and thenotification may be based on the selected privacy setting. For example,the indication of the updated presence status may indicate that the useris present at the client device without identifying who that person is.The method 500 includes transferring 550 a call from one device toanother device, such as, for example, from a second device to the clientdevice in response to the notification.

If it is determined 530 that a human presence is not detected, themethod 500 includes transmitting 560 a notification. In some cases, thepresence status may be updated to unavailable. The notification mayinclude an indication of the presence status. The method 500 includesretaining 570 a call at the second device or forwarding the call to amailbox, such as a voice mailbox of the user.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example of another method 600 forvideo-assisted presence detection in telephony communications. Themethod 600 includes initiating 610 a camera on a client device, such asthe second device 420 shown in FIG. 4. In an example, the camera may bepowered on and in standby mode when the client device is logged into thesoftware platform. When the camera is in standby mode, the camera may bepowered on and the image sensor may be activated, though not recordingimages or video. In an example, initiating 610 the camera on the clientdevice may include the image sensor detecting motion in a field of viewof the camera to switch from standby mode to an active mode to perform620 a scan to detect a user presence. In another example, initiating 610the camera may include detecting the proximity of a mobile device to theclient device to switch from standby mode to an active mode to perform620 a scan to detect a user presence. In another example, the camera mayperiodically perform 620 a scan to detect a user presence. Theperiodicity of performing 620 the scan in this example may beconfigurable by the user or system administrator, and may be configuredto occur every few seconds or longer intervals. In yet another example,the camera may continuously perform 620 a scan to detect a userpresence.

Performing 620 the scan may include obtaining data from the camera, suchas image data, video data, or both. The scan may be performed 620 basedon a selected privacy setting. For example, the user may select aprivacy setting that allows the system to have partial access to thecamera of the client device to perform 620 the scan to detect that thereis a human being present at the client device by capturing facialinformation, and without permission to transmit the video feed of thecamera. In this example, the client device may be configured torecognize the user's face, but does not actually display any image orvideo data from the camera on another device, such as the first device410 shown in FIG. 4, and the system simply verifies whether the user isthere or not. In this example, the specific user may be identified, suchas by using an AI tool trained for face detection.

In another example, the user may select a privacy setting that allowsthe system to have full access to the camera of the client device. Inthis example, the system is configured to determine that the specificperson is at their desk in front of the client device and thus candistinguish between the specific person and other people, such as byusing an AI tool trained for face detection. In this case, the systemmay or may not display or transmit the image or video data from thecamera on another device, such as the first device 410 shown in FIG. 4,for example, upon request from the receptionist such as where thereceptionist receives a call to be transferred to the user.

The method includes determining 630 whether a human presence is detectedbased on the scan. Determining 630 whether a human presence is detectedmay include detecting a head zone in the scan. For example, if a headzone is detected, the system determines 630 that a human being ispresent at the client device, and if a head zone is not detected, thesystem determines 630 that a human being is not present at the clientdevice. If it is determined 630 that a human presence is not detected,the method 500 includes transmitting 640 a notification. In some cases,the presence status may be updated to unavailable. The notification mayinclude an indication of the presence status. The method 500 includesretaining 650 a call at a second device or forwarding the call to amailbox, such as a voice mailbox of the user.

If it is determined 630 that a human presence is detected, the method600 includes determining 660 an identity of the detected human. Theidentity of the detected human may be determined 660 using an AI tooltrained for face detection, for example. Other examples of determining660 the identity of the user may include performing voice printmatching, fingerprint scanning, iris scanning, or some other biometrictechnique that does not require the use of image or video data.

The method 600 includes confirming 670 the identity of the detectedhuman. For example, the identity of the detected human may be confirmed670 by matching it against an identity of the person for whom the callis intended. The identity of the person for whom the call is intendedmay be a known identity, for example, stored in a database of the systemthat correlates image data, video data, or both, with a user account ofthe user. If the identity of the detected human matches the identity ofthe person for whom the call is intended, the identity is confirmed andthe method 600 includes transmitting 680 a notification. In some cases,the presence status may be to available. The notification may include anindication of the presence status, and the notification may be based onthe selected privacy setting. In some cases, the notification mayinclude an identity of the user, an image of the user from the camera,or a video feed of the user from the camera based on the selectedprivacy setting. The method 600 includes transferring 690 a call fromthe second device to the client device in response to the notification.

If the identity of the detected user is not confirmed, for example inthe case of a human other than the user is detected at the clientdevice, the method 600 includes transmitting 640 a notification andupdating a presence status to unavailable. The notification may includean indication of the updated presence status. The notification mayindicate that the detected human is not the user the call was intendedfor. In some cases, the notification may be an alert that indicates thatthe detected human is an unauthorized user. The method 500 includesretaining 650 a call at the operator or forwarding the call to amailbox, such as a voice mailbox of the user.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example of another method 700 forvideo-assisted presence detection in telephony communications. Themethod 700 includes detecting 710 a user presence. The user presence maybe detected based on data captured by a camera of a first device. Thefirst device may be associated with a private network. The first devicemay be configured to communicate via a UCaaS platform, such as softwareplatform 300 shown in FIG. 3. The data captured by the camera of thefirst device may include image data, video data, or both. Detection ofthe user presence may be based on a determination of a head zone, a bodyzone, or both, from the data captured by the camera of the first device.The head zone, the body zone, or both, may be determined by the firstdevice or another device associated with the private network.

The method 700 includes transmitting 720 a notification to a seconddevice. The second device may be associated with the private network.The second device may be configured to communicate via the UCaaSplatform. The notification may indicate the detection of the userpresence. The notification may include an indication of whether a useris available or not, image data from the camera of the first device,video data, such as a video feed, from the camera of the first device,or any combination thereof. The notification may be displayed on adisplay of the second device. In some cases, the notification istransmitted when the identity of the user is confirmed, such as by usinga voice print matching procedure, fingerprint authentication, or anotheridentity confirmation procedure.

The method 700 includes transferring 730 a call to the first device. Thecall may be transferred to the first device based on the detection ofthe user presence. The call may be transferred to the first device usingSIP signaling. The call may be transferred based on an identityconfirmation of the detected user. For example, a voice print matchingprocedure may be performed to confirm the identity of the user. If aresult of the voice print matching procedure confirms that the detecteduser is the user for which the call is intended, the call is transferredto the first device.

The implementations of this disclosure can be described in terms offunctional block components and various processing operations. Suchfunctional block components can be realized by a number of hardware orsoftware components that perform the specified functions. For example,the disclosed implementations can employ various integrated circuitcomponents (e.g., memory elements, processing elements, logic elements,look-up tables, and the like), which can carry out a variety offunctions under the control of one or more microprocessors or othercontrol devices. Similarly, where the elements of the disclosedimplementations are implemented using software programming or softwareelements, the systems and techniques can be implemented with aprogramming or scripting language, such as C, C++, Java, JavaScript,assembler, or the like, with the various algorithms being implementedwith a combination of data structures, objects, processes, routines, orother programming elements.

Functional aspects can be implemented in algorithms that execute on oneor more processors. Furthermore, the implementations of the systems andtechniques disclosed herein could employ a number of conventionaltechniques for electronics configuration, signal processing or control,data processing, and the like. The words “mechanism” and “component” areused broadly and are not limited to mechanical or physicalimplementations, but can include software routines in conjunction withprocessors, etc. Likewise, the terms “system” or “tool” as used hereinand in the figures, but in any event based on their context, may beunderstood as corresponding to a functional unit implemented usingsoftware, hardware (e.g., an integrated circuit, such as an ASIC), or acombination of software and hardware. In certain contexts, such systemsor mechanisms may be understood to be a processor-implemented softwaresystem or processor-implemented software mechanism that is part of orcallable by an executable program, which may itself be wholly or partlycomposed of such linked systems or mechanisms.

Implementations or portions of implementations of the above disclosurecan take the form of a computer program product accessible from, forexample, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium. Acomputer-usable or computer-readable medium can be a device that can,for example, tangibly contain, store, communicate, or transport aprogram or data structure for use by or in connection with a processor.The medium can be, for example, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, or semiconductor device.

Other suitable mediums are also available. Such computer-usable orcomputer-readable media can be referred to as non-transitory memory ormedia, and can include volatile memory or non-volatile memory that canchange over time. A memory of an apparatus described herein, unlessotherwise specified, does not have to be physically contained by theapparatus, but is one that can be accessed remotely by the apparatus,and does not have to be contiguous with other memory that might bephysically contained by the apparatus.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with certainimplementations, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to belimited to the disclosed implementations but, on the contrary, isintended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangementsincluded within the scope of the appended claims, which scope is to beaccorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all suchmodifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law.

1. A system comprising: a first device associated with a private networkand configured to communicate via a unified communications as a service(UCaaS) platform; a second device associated with the private networkand configured to communicate via the UCaaS platform, the second deviceincluding a camera, wherein the second device is configured to: detect auser presence based on data captured by the camera; and transmit anotification to the first device that indicates detection of the userpresence, wherein the first device is configured to transfer a call tothe second device based on the detection of the user presence usingsession initiation protocol (SIP) signaling.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the second device is configured to determine a head zone fromthe data to detect the user presence at the second device, wherein thehead zone is a first area of an image associated with the data thatincludes at least a portion of a head of a user.
 3. The system of claim2, wherein the second device is configured to determine a body zone fromthe data to detect the user presence at the second device, wherein thebody zone is a second area of the image associated with the data thatincludes at least a portion of a body of the user.
 4. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the notification includes a video feed associated withthe data.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second device isconfigured to perform voice print matching to confirm an identity of theuser.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the second device is configuredto transmit the notification on a condition that the identity of theuser is confirmed.
 7. A method comprising: detecting a user presencebased on data captured by a camera of a first device associated with aprivate network and configured to communicate via a unifiedcommunications as a service (UCaaS) platform; transmitting anotification to a second device associated with the private network andconfigured to communicate via the UCaaS platform, wherein thenotification indicates the detected user presence; and transferring,using session initiation protocol (SIP) signaling, a call to the firstdevice based on the detection of the user presence.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, further comprising: determining, at the first device, a headzone from the data to detect the user presence at the first device,wherein the head zone is a first area of an image associated with thedata that includes at least a portion of a head of a user.
 9. The methodof claim 8, further comprising: determining, at the first device, a bodyzone from the data to detect the user presence at the first device,wherein the body zone is a second area of the image associated with thedata that includes at least a portion of a body of the user.
 10. Themethod of claim 7, further comprising: determining, at a network deviceof the private network, a head zone from the data to detect the userpresence at the first device, wherein the head zone is a first area ofan image associated with the data that includes at least a portion of ahead of a user.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:determining, at the network device of the private network, a body zonefrom the data to detect the user presence at the first device, whereinthe body zone is a second area of the image associated with the datathat includes at least a portion of a body of the user.
 12. The methodof claim 7, wherein the notification includes a video feed associatedwith the data.
 13. The method of claim 7, further comprising:performing, at the first device, voice print matching to confirm anidentity of the user.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein thenotification is transmitted on a condition that the identity of the useris confirmed.
 15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium configuredto store instructions that when executed by a processor cause theprocessor to: initiate a camera on a first device associated with aprivate network and configured to communicate via a unifiedcommunications as a service (UCaaS) platform; perform a scan based on aprivacy setting, wherein the scan includes data obtained from the cameraof the first device; determine whether a human presence is detectedbased on the data obtained from the camera of the first device; transmita notification to a second device associated with the private networkand configured to communicate via the UCaaS platform, wherein thenotification is based on the determination of whether the human presenceis detected; on a condition that the human presence is detected,transfer a call from the second device to the first device using sessioninitiation protocol (SIP) signaling; and on a condition that the humanpresence is not detected, retain the call at the second device.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein theprocessor is configured to determine an identity of a user based on thedata obtained from the camera of the first device.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein theprocessor is configured to confirm the identity of the user by matchingthe identity against a known identity.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the processor isconfigured to transfer the call from the second device to the firstdevice on a condition that the identity of the user is confirmed. 19.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein theprivacy setting allows partial access to the camera of the first deviceto perform the scan without capturing facial information.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the privacysetting allows full access to the camera of the first device, andwherein the notification includes a video feed from the camera of thefirst device.